Automatic water-valve



(No Model.)

M. MAGINN. AUTOMATIC WATER VALVE. No. 425,333. Patented Apr. 8, 1890.

Qwwwboz,

fa: mains warms ca, mom-maul, Imam, u. c.

UNITED STATES MADISON MAGINN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

AUTQ MATIC WATER-VALVE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 425,333, dated April 8, 1890. Application filed September 8, 1888. Renewed March 12 1890. Serial No. 343,595. (No model.)

To all zuhmn it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MADISON MAGINN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago,

in the Stafe of Illinois, have invented a new.

and useful Improvement in an Automatic ater-Valve, to operate in conjunction witha water system supplying fire-extinguishing apparatus in the protection of buildings against lire; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in commotion with the accompanyin g drawings and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, of which the following is'a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in an automatic water-valve to operate in conj unction with a water system supplying automatic sprinklers or other fire-extinguishing apparatus for the protection of buildings against tire; and the objects of my improvements are, first, to provide a valve so constructed that any pressure that may be brought to bear upon either side or face of the valve-slide closing, the passage-way willhave no tendency to open same; second, to provide ways and means whereby the said valve will open automatically; third, to provide ways and means whereby the said valve can be opened or closed by hand at the will of the operator; fourth, to provide ways and means for operating and testing the valve by hand without setting oft or injuring the system that the valve is placed upon; fifth, to provide ways and means, connected to and a part of said valve, whereby the system of fire-extinguishing apparatus at tached can be tested and its reliability and the working state of the water-supply be determined at the valve; sixth, to provide ways and means whereby the different air and water pressures will be shown at all times and an alarm sent in and a gong operated upon the opening of the automatic valve; seventh, to provide acabinet or safe inclosing said valve and its working and testing parts pertaining thereto, whereby such can be kept underlock and key to protect them from being tampered with. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure 1 is a view of the valve and apparatus in side elevation, partly in section, and valve open. Fig. 2 is an outside view of the valve and apparatus as it would appear complete, with valve closed and set ready for action. Fig. 3 is a View of the same in end elevation, part sectional, valve open and the doors removed from the cabinet. This view is taken on the dashed lines Z Z of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged view of my tripping device.

Simil ar letters refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

T is the water-main or stand-pipe, with the gate-valve V placed thereon previous to entering the valve-body A of the automatic valve.

S is the outlet-pipe leading away the volume of water as it passes through the automatic valve-body A in the direction of the arrows.

B is a slide-closing gate for opening and closing the passage-way through the valve A A. The stem of the gate B has a toothed rack, which operates in contact with the teeth in the pinion O, which is fixed upon the rockershaft Attached to the end of this rockershaft is the weighted lever C". This combination is the means of opening and closing the gate B in the automatic valve by hand.

A is an extension-cash] g protecting the pinion O and the gate 13.

E is a loosening or starting pin operating upon the sliding gate B through a stufiingboX or other provided means, whereby it will remain movable and yet be both air and water tight in its surroundings;

D D-D are compound levers, pivoted at the fulcrums A and operating the startingpin E upon the gate D when it is closed.

F is the ram or weight suspended to the tripping device of the automatic valve. hen released from its position, (as represented in dotted lines, Fig. 1,) it falls, striking the compound lever D, as shown in Fig. 1. The whole of this effect is brought to bear upon the loosening-pin E, which, being in contact with the edge of the gate 13, produces the loosening effect to the gate B.

P is the air-pipe connected to the side of the valve, and supplies the tripping device. This device is detached and enlarged in Fig. 4.

N N is the expanding and contracting airpressure tube, curved as shown, and constructed of flexible material, and receiving its supply of air-pressure from the valve through the pipe P.

O is a standard, forked MO and support ing the rocker-shaft and pinion K. There is also fixed to the rooker-shaft a rocking beam or arm L L, having connections M M, pivoted to the ends of the rocking beam L and to the ends of the expansion-tubes N N.

J is the trip-lever, pivoted to the frame lrl. At one end is a loop or perforation prepared to receive the end of the tripping-latch. At the other end is constructed a toothed rack or segment to operate in contact with the pinion K.

I is a tripping-latch, pivoted at one end to the frame H. There is also fixed at this end a short stud for the purpose of suspending a weight thereon. The other end of the latch engages with the loop or perforation in the end of trip-lever J.

F is a weight or ram with a swivel-bail F prepared to engage with the stud on the tripping-latch I.

Q is a water-gage for asccrtainin g the pressure of Water at the valve and upon the system, with a water-cock P on connection-pipe for testing.

Q is an air-gage for ascertaining the pressure of air at the valve on the dry system of a fire-extinguishing apparatus.

R is an electric alarm-gong, arranged to sound the alarm when the air-pressure is down and when the automatic valve opens. This gong is connected by wires 20 w to the battery onthe electric system.

G is the iron frame or cabinet inclosing and protecting the entire device.

G2 are the doors, all controlled by one look and key.

Fig. 2 shows the appearance of the valve when closed, locked, and ready for action.

- All the other views show the different parts as they would appear after the valve was set off or opened.

The operation of my device is as follows: To set the valve ready for action: First, close the gate-valve V, shutting off the water-supply from T in. the direction of the arrows. Second, drain the system of piping attached to the pipe S. Third, close the gate B in the valve A by raising the lever C to the position represented in dotted lines 0 Fig. 1, pressing the gate up hard into place. It will then hold itself in said position by the friction of the sides of the gate with the grooved seat of the Valve. Fourth, close the valve in the drain-pipe and fill the piping connected to S with the air-pressure. This pressure will cause the ends of the curved expansion-tube N N to spread apart. This movement is transmitted by the connections M M to the rocker-beam L L, fixed to the rocker-shaft and pinion K, and lifts the lever J at the end in contact with the pinion K to the position represented in the dotted lines. Simultaneously this movement drops or lowers the other end of the lever having the loop to re oeive and hold the end of the tripping latoh I. Fifth, suspend the weight F by placing the bail F? over the small stud at the pivot on latch I, and the valve is set. Sixth, open the hand-gate valve V. The wires '10 10 being attached to the tripping device, as alreadyrepresented. and connected to the electrlc battery prepared for same, there is only left the closing and locking of the doors G of the iron safe G to make the whole complete and ready for action.

The opening of the valve. Upon the release of. the air-pressure anywhere in the pipes at tached to S of the automatic valve or through sliding gate B when closed and loosens the gate. It being now free from the friction that was holding the gate in its closed position weight at the end of lever 0 (see dotted lines, Fig. 1,) this weight must fall. This movement turns the pinion, which engages with the rack on the stem of the sliding gate B and opens the passage-wayin A A, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and allows the water to follow up the receding air-pressure to its exit out of the open sprinkler-head or other fireextinguishing apparatus attached to this device. Simultaneously with the falling down of the trip-lever J to its normal condition, or valve open and pressure gone,the wire Q02, fixed to the rack-segment of lever J, connects with to at 20 closes the electric circuit, and operates the gong, sending in the alarm through the entire circuit.

Testing the valve and system at the oaZve. To test the working condition of the automatic valve and at the same time ascertain the state of the air and water systems, I first close the gate-valve V and then open the doors G of the iron cabinet G, noting the state of the air-gage Q and water-gage Q. Second, close the hand-valve P This locks the air-pressure into the tripping device, air-tube, and air-gage. Third, open petcock P. This releases the airpressure and operates the tripping device,

that opens the water-valve, and allows the water that lies between the gate-valveV and the gate in the automatic valve to flow into the extension-body of the automatic valve, where it can be drained off when the gate in the automatic valve is closed. Fourth, close the gate in the automatic valve by hand, bringin g it hard up into place. Then close petcock P and open hand-valve P This replaces the air-pressure into the tripping device and airand without anything to hold the suspended IOI) ITO

valve is set ready for action again.

gage. Fiftlnsuspend the fallen Weight or ram F upon the stud on the trip-latch I, and the Sixth, open the gate-valve V, and the gages will then show the working condition of the air and Water systems, while the test shows the working condition of the automatic valve and device.

I am aware that prior to my invention automatic valves have been made of a reciprocating cut-off acted upon by the light airpressure, the said reciprocating; cut-off in turn acting directly upon the Water-valve, giving, either by virtue of its superiorarea or its greater leverage, sufficient advantage to the light air-pressure to more than overbalance the opposingWater-pressure. Thus it will be seen that this is an attempt to do by entirely different means of principle and mechanism that which I have successfully accomplished.

It is also obvious that slight changes might be resorted to in the construction and arrangements of the parts described Without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention. For instance, it is not essential to use a fallingweight from the tripping device to operate the openingof thevalve. Aspring could be substituted connected to the operating device and perform that function. Hence I do not wish to limit myself strictly to the construction herein set forth; but,

Having fully described my invention, \vh at I claim is 1. In combination with the supply-pipe of a fireextinguishing system, a sliding gate controlling the passage through said pipe, a rack on the stem of said valve, a weighted lever pivoted to the valve-hody, a pinion on the pivot-shaft engaging with said rack, a loosening-pin in contact with the sliding gate, a compound lever bearing on said pin, a detachably-suspended weight above said compound lever adapted to operate the same by its fall, and a detaching device for said-weight, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

2. In combination with the supply-pipe of a fire-extinguishing system, a sliding gate controlling the passage-way through said pipe, a rack on the stem of said valve, a weighted lever pivoted to the valve-body, a pinion on the pivot-shaft engaging With said I rack, a loosening-pin in contact with the sliding gate, a compound lever bearing on said pin, a detachably-suspended Weight above said compound lever, adapted to operate the same by its fall, a detaching device for said weight, consisting of a contracting andexpanding metallic air-pressure tube, with p1pe connection to the valve-body, a rocker shaft and pinion in connection with said tube, a pivoted lever engaging with said pinion, and a pivoted detaching-lever supporting and detaching said Weight, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

3. In a fire-extinguishing system, the combination of a gate-valve controlling the inletpipe thereto, a pin resting 011 said valve and extending out through the casing thereof, a compound lever resting on said pin, and a Weight detaehably suspended above said lever and adapted to operate the same and open the valve by its fall, substantially as and for the purposes specified. I

4. In a fire-extinguishing system, the combination of a gate-valve controlling the inlet thereto, a pin resting on the valve and extending out through the valve-casing, a compound lever resting 011 said pin, a detaehablysuspended weight adapted to operate the lever and open the valve by its fall, and a detaching device for the Weight, operated by a variation of pressure in the system, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

5. In a fire-extinguishing system, the combinatio11,with a valve controlling the inlet thereto and 'a detachably-suspended Weight adapted to operate the valve by its fall, of a detaching device consisting of a flexible hol- 10W tube N, rockinglever L, pinion K on said levcr, rods M, connecting the ends of tube N with leverL, and bent pivoted lever I, supporting the Weight by lever J and adapted'to be released by movement of said lever J, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

, 6. In a fire-extinguishing system, the combination, with an inlet-valve, a detachablysuspended weight adapted to operate said valve by its fall, and a detaching device for said weight operated by variation of pressure in the sprinkler-pipes, of a testing device consisting of pipe P, connecting the sprinklerpipes with the weight-detaching device, petcock P valve P and gage (.f on said pipe P, and a gate-valve V on the inlet-pipe of the system, in close proximity to said inletvalve, substantially as and for the purposes specified.

MADISON MAGINN.

lVitnesses:

WM. N. SMITH, JOHN G. SMITH. 

